$12,500 in prize money.
Registration and Volunteer sign-up opens
Drop your email and we’ll let you know.
Cook Off Registration
Compete for a share of $12,500. SCA-sanctioned and open to teams across Texas.
Kids Cook'Em Registration
Your kid gets their own grill, their own steak, and their own shot at a trophy.
Car Show Registration
Bert Ogden Cars & Stripes. Roll in, show off, compete for top honors.
WHAT IT IS AND WHY 20 YEARS MATTERS
Texas Cook’Em started as a cookout. Now? It’s become a Valley tradition. Fifteen years in, it’s the event families plan around, pitmasters circle on the calendar, and the reason Edinburg owns the Fourth of July in South Texas. It’s because the food is real, the competition is sanctioned, and the community keeps showing up. In 2026, with more than 12,000 people expected at Ebony Hills Golf Course, Texas Cook’Em is bigger than it’s ever been. And ever after all this time, it’s still free to attend.
WHAT THE DAY LOOKS LIKE
The day starts with a 7:30 A.M. Firecracker 5K and the festival grounds open at 4 P.M. From there it is live music, the 956 Cornhole tournament, the Bert Ogden Cars and Stripes Car Show, the Hot Dog Eating Contest, and the J. Gonzalez Law Firm Freedom Jump Skydive. The SCA cook-off runs all day with $12,500 in prize money on the line. H-E-B closes out the night with the Sizzle and Stripes Firework Show at 10 P.M. Grounds close at 11:30 P.M.
WHO IT'S FOR
This event is for the family that wants a real Fourth of July. For the pitmaster who’s been perfecting their sear all year. For the car enthusiast who wants to show off next to a crowd that appreciates it. And for every Valley resident who wants to mark America’s 250th birthday somewhere memorable. In short, Texas Cook’Em is for everyone!
Festival Schedule
Drop your email and we'll let you know.
Cook-Off Schedule
Drop your email and we'll let you know.
last year gallery
LOCATION
300 W Palm Dr, Edinburg, TX 78539
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